(Reuters) - The first U.S. case of Middle East Respiratory Virus (MERS), a viral respiratory illness, has been confirmed within U.S. borders, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday

A SARS-like virus, MERS was first detected in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

Dr Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said on a conference call the first U.S. case of the virus was "of great concern because of its virulence," noting that it has proven fatal in about a third of the cases of infection.http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/0...SN20140502:damned:

Two British passengers are being tracked down by health chiefs over fears they could have contracted a deadly Middle Eastern virus during a flight from Saudi Arabia to Heathrow.

Public Health England made the announcement after it emerged two passengers sat next to an American who was later diagnosed with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome - a virus believed to have been derived from camels, which has killed more than 100 people in the past two years.